The Wonders of an Adventure
by V. Sourweather
Summary: Bilba knows she has to do something when a company of dwarves invades her home one night. She has no idea, though, that her decision will change her life forever (or perhaps she realizes it, but doesn't want to admit it yet). [fem!Bilbo]
1. Prologue

_Here you go! I've recently ventured into the _Hobbit _fandom, and this idea of a fic crossed my mind. I just had to put it on paper (so to speak), and there you have it: _The Wonders of an Adventure _begins!_

_A few indications before the story starts: this is a fem!Bilbo fanfic, so if you don't like it, please do not read it. It's about everything I can reveal without spoiling anything, so if you want to know more... Read on!_

_And also, before I forget... Disclaimer: I do not own _The Hobbit_ or its universe, and everything belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson, as well as New Line Cinema. I don't make any money out of this story._

_And thank you to DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns for betaing the prologue!_

_Now, read and enjoy! :)_

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**Prologue**

* * *

Bilba Baggins wasn't really what you would call a typical hobbit. Oh, yes, she lived in a comfortable hobbit hole, like all hobbits did, but she had experienced things that other hobbits could never even dream about. Of course, she hadn't told them about her adventures; she hadn't even told her nephew about them. Her dear Frodo…

Then one day she thought about it and decided that the young hobbit deserved to know about her adventures. There was an eagerness in his eyes every time she asked him if he wanted to listen to her stories (though she never, ever told him the truth; she only created stories and imaginary worlds in her mind and then told him all about them), and he smiled and giggled or cried and shouted at the ending of each one of them. And _this_ story… This story was one of the best she would ever have to tell. And her memories… They were starting to fade, and she didn't want to forget.

So when he came home from his own little adventures that day, she smiled sweetly at him and made him dinner, as always. And after he had finished eating, she pushed her greying hair out of her face and looked directly in his eyes.

And she asked him, "Would you like to hear a story, dear Frodo?"

His eyes brightened up as always, and he nodded fervently. "Yes, Aunt Bilba! A story!"

She chuckled and sat down, inviting him to do so as well by pointing to the cozy armchair in front of her. Then, she took a deep breath and started, "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit…"

* * *

_I have the next few chapters already written down, so I will be posting on a regular basis for now! Expect a chapter on each Wednesday. As this is a very short prologue, I will post the first chapter with it, but this double-posting is exceptional!_


	2. An invasion of dwarves

_I've tried to make this first chapter as interesting as possible. You'll see there are few big changes to the original storyline (but that's the point XD), and I really do hope you'll like them!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own _The Hobbit_ or its universe. Everything belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien, Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema. I don't make any money out of this story._

_Thank you to Kefalion and Rule23 for betaing this chapter!_

_And now, read on! :)_

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**Chapter 1: An invasion of dwarves**

* * *

Bilba was sitting on her bench and looking up at the sky, a dreamy smile on her face. It would be a fine day, she thought to herself. Not a cloud in sight, the sun shining bright and warming her skin.

She loved days like this. She could never get enough of them, and though they were not rare in the Shire, she wished there could be more.

Just as she was about to stand up and finally go inside (just to grab a book though, she wouldn't miss being outside on such a sunny day more than she had to), a shadow leaned over her. She jumped and looked up, and up, and up, until she could finally see the face of the newcomer.

She gasped softly. Why was a man standing at her door—a _man_, not a hobbit? And why was he looking at her with such a peculiar look in his eyes? And why was he dressed so… strangely? Really, there was no other word for it. He was dressed _strangely_. Very strangely indeed. The thing that bothered her most was his pointy, grey hat (though it did match his grey robes, she had to admit it).

Still, Bilba had _manners,_ and she smiled. "Good morning, sir."

"What do you mean?" the tall man asked her. "Do you mean to wish me a good morning, or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or, perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning? Or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on?"

She looked at him with a little more interest. She already liked the way he spoke; mysteriously, perhaps a little funnily as well. And she answered good-heartedly, "All of them at once, I suppose."

"Good," the man replied, eyeing her in a peculiar way.

Now, she might have liked the way he talked, but his staring was starting to confuse her, and she didn't like to be confused on such a beautiful day.

"Um… Do you need any help, sir?" she asked slowly.

"That remains to be seen." His voice was so… so _irritatingly _slow! "I am looking for someone to share in an adventure."

She stared at him, shook her head a few times to clear her thoughts and then repeated, quite dumbly at that, "An adventure?" When he nodded, she let out a little stressed laugh. "No, no. I don't know anyone west of Bree who would be interested in an adventure, my good sir! They're n—"

"What about the dreams you have been having for the past few months?" the man interrupted her. "Do they not tell you that you need to go on that particular adventure? And do you not long for the days when you let your Tookish side take over?"

She stared at him, wide-eyed. He couldn't know about her secret dreams of a—a dwarven company invading her home and convincing her into going with them on a quest far too great for her! He couldn't know about the war raging in her mind at night, the one which made her jerk awake each time she tried to fall into a deep slumber. He couldn't know about any of that.

"How do you know about all this?" Bilba asked. Her eyebrows were knitted together with suspicion, and her lips were pursed tightly together. He couldn't know about all this… but he couldn't have made it up either.

"I know a lot of things, Bilba Baggins. Many of which I cannot share with you… yet."

"You know my name," she noticed, her voice now slightly quivering with fear. "How can you know my name?" Bilba told herself that he couldn't be a spy, or anything, and that no one would even want to spy on her, for her life was not the most special life one could have.

"I know your name because I know who you are. And if I know who you are… well, you must know who I am as well."

"I think I would remember if I'd ever met you before, sir," she told him earnestly.

"You must have a very short memory indeed, then. But if I tell you my name, I am sure you will remember." She waited a little longer, and he finally uttered, "I am Gandalf! And Gandalf means… me."

"Gandalf?" she repeated, her brain working a mile an hour. And then she remembered indeed. "Not Gandalf, the wandering wizard, who made such excellent fireworks?"

The man—no, the _wizard_, Gandalf—smiled at her and nodded. "I told you that you would remember."

"Well, Mister Gandalf, I am sorry to say that I can't join your little… adventure. I really am, but you must know that I wouldn't be of any help, and—"

"Not of any help?" Gandalf chuckled. "My dear Bilba, how very wrong you are. You must remember your dreams." She nodded, and he continued, "Well, if you were to choose not to come when you know already what lies in front of us, it would endanger us all."

"I don't think I would be allowed to tell anything I see in my dreams, Mister Gandalf. Not to anyone. Not even you."

He hummed slightly and leaned a little more heavily on his staff.

"But you already know, don't you?" Bilba asked. "You already know what will happen during the quest. And even if I'm of some use, I just can't—"

"I will let you know that my decision has already been made, Bilba Baggins," he just said, smiling a little like he didn't just interrupt her argument. "It will do you good to go out into the whole wide world again, my dear. So I will let the others know, and tell them to meet me here tonight."

"No, Mister Gandalf," she countered. "I'm sorry, but I do not want those dwarves to invade my home like they always do in my dreams! I do not want any of them _here_!" She pointed at the ground beneath her furry feet with an enraged finger. "And this is the end of the discussion."

Now, she was aware she shouldn't talk like this to a wizard, even if the only thing she had ever seen Gandalf do was set out his brilliant fireworks. So she sent him an apologetic look before turning around and briskly walking up to her door. She opened it and just exclaimed, "Good day to you, Mister Gandalf!" before shutting it close behind her, hoping he wouldn't insist.

And the wizard didn't. He did, though, walk up the short path that led to her door, and when Bilba put her pointy ear against her door, there was a little grating noise on the other side of the wood panel. She frowned and had a half-mind to open her door again, but she knew that would only lead to further discussion, and she wasn't sure she wouldn't let him convince her to come along. She couldn't let that happen, so she just kept listening until the grating noise stopped.

She ran to one of her windows and watched as Gandalf walked down the hill, quietly humming a song and looking very proud of himself. And when she finally decided it was safe for her to open her door again, the first thing she saw was the glowing blue rune incrusted in the wood.

Even she didn't know why she didn't try to erase it somehow. She just walked back into her home and let herself slide down onto the floor.

"Bilba," she sighed to herself. "What mess have you just gotten yourself into?"

* * *

She spent the rest of the day preparing for the invasion of dwarves she knew was going to happen that evening. Truthfully, she was quite thankful that she'd had these dreams serve as a warning, because if she hadn't known, she would certainly be in for a big surprise! She was also sure something would _still_ go wrong, for the dreams only came in flashes and not in whole scenes, but she had done her best to prevent that.

She was going to be the best hostess these dwarves could have dreamed of, she decided. If there was no way she could escape going on that quest and helping the company, she better be kind to them and make some efforts to be accepted… well, as well as a hobbit dam could be accepted among their ranks.

She had just put the last of her best cheese on the table when she heard a loud knock at her door. She took a deep breath and said to herself, "And now, the adventure begins…"

She had no idea how right she was!

When she opened the door, the dwarf before her bowed slightly and introduced himself, "Dwalin, at your service."

She chose not to get overly frightened by his appearance, even though he was one of the most intimidating beings she had ever seen (not that she had much to compare him to, the most intimidating one before now being Gandalf). The dwarf had tattoos covering his arms, and his head was bald, and he held weapons that she couldn't have dreamed about (well, that wasn't exactly true). He had a beard, as all dwarves did from the little she knew about them, and even she who was not fond of such facial hair had to admit that it was quite beautifully braided!

She looked at him for a few seconds before she remembered her manners.

She bowed in return and replied, "Bilba Baggins, at yours." She extended her arms then and asked, "Your weapons, please. I will just put them somewhere safe."

He gave her his weapons, his brows knitted together in a suspicious frown. But still, the fact that he did give them to her was a good sign, she guessed.

She invited him to enter and wait for her in her hallway, and when she came back without his weapons, she said, "Now come this way, the food is all ready and set on the table,"

"Bilba," the dwarf named Dwalin grunted, but he still followed her. "That's not a lad's name."

"That's true," she admitted. "But it fits, because I'm not a lad."

She heard his steps stop behind her and she turned around, staring at the dwarf intensely. She perfectly knew the 'not-a-lad' thing was going to be a problem, but if they were all going to stare at her in that accusatory way… She wasn't sure she could stand it!

"Who's the master of this house then?" Dwalin asked her suspiciously.

"I am, Master Dwalin."

"But there was supposed to be a lad!" he exclaimed. "And you're dressed like one too, so is it a joke then? That you're a lass?"

She rolled her eyes and decided to continue on her way to the dining room. There was no point in arguing with the dwarf, but she couldn't help but quip a little. "Well, if you're not satisfied, Master Dwalin, I'm sure you can find the door on your own."

She heard him scoff a little, but when she stopped by the table and turned around, he was looking at her with a little light in his eyes, one that wasn't there before.

"You have spirits," he admitted. "I like that."

"I'm glad," she answered, smiling a little. "Now, make yourself at home." She thought about that for a second and added as a second thought, "Not too much, though."

He nodded briefly and sat himself at the table, grabbing a fish and eating it whole in a few seconds. Bilba stared at the dwarf, her lips parted a little in surprise. Was that how dwarves always ate, even at home? It was so… improper!

Just as she was about to tell him to slow down or something, the bell rang, and she turned towards the door, sighing.

"Another dwarf, I assume?" she asked Dwalin, waiting just a few seconds for his answer.

He just looked at her fixatedly, and she shook her head and made her way towards the door.

Behind the wood panel stood a white-haired, old dwarf. He was far smaller (and larger too) than Dwalin, and a smile was lighting up his wrinkled face, so she decided that she definitely liked him better than the other.

"Balin, at your service," he introduced himself with a bow, his blue eyes sparkling in the light filtering through the door.

"Bilba Baggins, at yours," she replied once again, bowing as well.

He did a double-take and stared at her a little while longer, his smile never waning. On the contrary, it widened, and he finally exclaimed, "A lass!"

"I'm glad you've noticed faster than Master Dwalin did." She let out a small laugh, shaking her head once more. If some other of the dwarves were as polite as this one, there would be fewer problems than she'd originally thought! Perhaps Dwalin was just a wary dwarf after all.

"Ah, Dwalin. So my brother has already arrived?"

She felt kind of stupid for not noticing the resemblance between their names before, and she just nodded wordlessly.

"Evening, brother!" Balin suddenly exclaimed and walked past her.

"By my beard!" the more intimidating dwarf answered. "You are shorter and wider than last we met!"

"Wider, not shorter," Balin corrected with a laugh. "And sharp enough for both of us."

Dwalin snickered and put his hands on his brother's shoulders, squeezing them tightly. Bilba winced, but it mustn't have bothered Balin because he just put his hands on his brothers forearms and suddenly… They smashed their foreheads together. Bilba let out a small squeak and stepped back a little.

They both turned towards her, and she flattened her palms against her trousers (that she had put on to make a good first impression, so as not to appear too much like a lady).

"I'm… sorry," she stammered out. "I just—It surprised me. You know, the… head smashing?" She smiled tentatively at them, and Balin nodded comprehensively.

"Aye. But it's just our way of greeting each other, lass. Don't worry, there will be no fight under your roof… as far as I'm concerned," the old dwarf told her.

"That's certainly a relief," she replied earnestly. "Oh, I almost forgot!" she added hurriedly. "Your weapons! You can give them to me, and then follow Master Dwalin. I'm sure he will know how to lead you to the food." She offered a smirk to the intimidating dwarf, and both dwarves left her without another word in her direction, heading for the dining room, though the white-haired dwarf smiled gratefully at her after giving her his weapons.

She tucked them away, and then let out a great sigh and straightened herself. She would need a little more strength to get through the night, and the journey after that, but all in all… It wasn't a bad beginning!

Just as she thought that, the doorbell rang again, and as she was near the door, it didn't take her long to open it. And there before her stood not one, but _two_ dwarves!

"By Yavannah!" she whispered. These two were a lot younger than their companions, and she stared at them with a concerned frown. "You both are… young."

The dwarves exchanged a perplexed look, and then their eyes were back on her. She felt guilty for making them so uncomfortable and chose to bow swiftly before she had to meet any of their gazes again. "I'm Bilba Baggins. At your service, of course," she introduced herself. "And I'm sorry for what I just said, it's just—after the other two, I was expecting—"

"Someone older, perhaps?" the blonde dwarf offered with a grin. "Aye, we're the youngest of our company." He waited for her to answer, but she just smiled guiltily up at him (how tall they were for dwarves!). "I'm Fíli," he finally offered.

"And Kíli," the dark-haired dwarf jumped in.

"At your service," they finished in a beautiful chorus (so beautiful that she wondered if they had rehearsed that part).

She asked for their weapons again, and when Fíli told her to be careful because he had just sharpened his (numerous) knives and his two swords, she flinched a little and hoped she wouldn't get on his bad side… ever.

She closed the door shut behind them with her foot and told them to make themselves at home while she took care of their weapons. And when she came back, she asked the first question that crossed her mind (better that than focus on the mud on her mother's glory box), "Brothers, I presume?"

"Aye," Kíli answered, a smile on his face as he looked at his brother. "He's the oldest, though I believe I'm the charming one."

He received an elbow in the ribs, granted by a laughing Fíli, at that.

"Are you saying that just because she's a lass, brother?" the blonde dwarf asked the dark-haired one. "Are you trying to _charm_ her? Because if you were, I can already tell it's failing!"

Bilba scoffed and asked him, "And why would you say that, Master Fíli?"

"Well, everyone knows I'm the charming one. And the more mature one as well!" he added with a grin that made his braided moustache swing a little.

"As if!" His brother laughed a little, but he cut himself off, a sombre expression crossing his face. "I do have a question, Miss Baggins. Where's your father? Or your husband? Well, to be a little clearer… Where's the master of the house?"

"I am the master of the house," she sighed for the second time this evening.

"But you're a lass!" Kíli exclaimed.

"Exactly what I told her," a gruff voice came from behind them. "But she's a spirited one, so be careful what you say, lads."

She let out a little laugh at that and turned towards the young brothers, who were looking back and forth between Dwalin and her.

Kíli finally chose to join Master Dwalin, claiming his name loud enough to make her ears ache, but Fíli stayed by her side, let out a low whistle and told her, "You must be full of surprises then, Miss Baggins."

"I believe I am," she replied, before pointing to the hallway that eventually led to the dining room. She enunciated a single word, "food," and then he was off, following in his brother and Dwalin's footsteps.

She found herself sighing with relief. She'd put almost everything she had to eat on that table (not that she'd need food anymore, if everything went as planned), and if every dwarf was as enthusiastic as those at the thought of eating, she'd certainly been right to do so!

She followed them into her dining room and found the four dwarves eating away at the plates she'd set on the table. She put her hands on her hips and cleared her throat loudly, and they all turned towards her.

"Are there anymore dwarves that I should expect?" she asked, knowing the answer very well.

"Um…" Kíli answered. "Yes, a few more, but—"

"Then put the food down and wait for them before you eat everything!" Her tone held no place for argument and the two younger dwarves instantly pushed their plates away. She glared at the older dwarves to make them obey as well.

Just as they did, the doorbell rang again, and Bilba shook her head. Kíli had just warned her that others were coming, but she had hoped she'd have more time to recover from the arrival of the first four dwarves.

She dragged her feet up to the door and opened it, and…

And a tumble of dwarves toppled on her doorstep. She stepped back and cried out a little, damning her dreams for not preparing her for this, and then she looked up, and up, and up, and there stood…

"Mister Gandalf," she sighed, shaking her head.

"My dear Bilba," the wizard answered. "I hope they didn't frighten you too much."

"Oh no. I have a habit of having dwarves tumble on my doorstep," she said sarcastically. "Of course they frightened me!"

"Well, I'm very sorry we did tumble on yer doorstep," a dwarf with a peculiar hat apologized.

She shook her head and helped some of them up while the others righted themselves on their own or were helped by the wizard, and then she invited the dwarves to follow her to put their weapons away (for she might be strong, but carrying the weapons of half of this Company would be too much, even for her). They seemed surprised when they saw the other weapons already tucked safely away, and they all began to murmur to each other.

"The dining room is this way," she pointed, and they all left her without another word. Apparently, the prospect of food was as important to a dwarf as it was to a hobbit.

She, on the other hand, stayed behind with the tall man who had silently followed them.

"Oh, Mister Gandalf," she lamented. "What exactly did I step into?"

The wizard just laughed and told her, "That, my friend… You'll have to find out for yourself."

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_As I already said at the bottom of the prologue, this double-posting is exceptional! The next chapter will be up next Wednesday! :)_


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